By Kira Jones, PI '12 and Nathan Barnett, PO
'11
CLAREMONT — The Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens baseball team
improved to 3-0 on the season with two wins over the visiting
Pacific University Boxers on Saturday, following their 10-3 victory
in the opener on Friday.
In game one of the doubleheader, Pacific catcher Conor Clark
knocked in two runs in the second inning to give the Boxers the
early lead, but the Sagehens' bats came alive in the fourth
and they were able to plate three runs.
Pomona-Pitzer tacked on another run in the fifth and three more in
the seventh for a final of 7-2. Pomona-Pitzer first baseman Nick
Frederick (SR, Arlington, VA)—who was stellar offensively in
Friday afternoon's contest as well—continued his streak
of perfection at the plate going 4-for-4 with three RBI (after his
4-for-4, 4 RBI showing Friday). Sagehen starting pitcher Travis
Rooke-Ley (JR, Eugene, OR) picked up his first win of the season
allowing just two earned runs, scattering nine hits and allowing
one walk.
Everyone in Pomona-Pitzer's lineup reached base at least
once in Game 2 as the Sagehens took down the Boxers 10-5. The
Boxers lead early, scoring 5 runs off Sagehen starter Guy Stevens
(SO, Lafayette) in the first three frames, despite Stevens'
high-percentage of swing-and-miss pitches, as he recorded six
strikeouts in just 4.2 innings of work. It would be all
Pomona-Pitzer the rest of the way, as the Sagehens scored eight
unanswered runs from the bottom of the third until the end of the
game.
The Sagehen's offense was led by left fielder Timothy Novom
(FR, Rancho Palos Verdes), making his first collegiate start in
place of the injured Michael Moyer (SO, Oakland) who was out with a
concussion sustained in game one of the series, and second baseman
Kyle Pokorny (JR, Coronado). Novom went 2-for-4 with two RBI and
two runs scored. Pokorny went 3-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and a
run scored. The Boxers finally solved Frederick, who was retired
for the first three times of the young season, although he still
managed two hits, including a double, and an RBI.
Stuart Gano (SO, Lakewood) earned the third win of the season for
the Sagehens, tossing 4.1 innings of one-hit ball in relief,
striking out four and not allowing a base-runner until the final
frame when Pacific Freshman Sam Kaplan doubled with one out in the
ninth.
The Sagehens return to action on Thursday with a home game against
Chapman University (1-2 overall). First pitch will be at 2:00 PM.
The Sagehens follow this one-game encounter with a three game set
Friday and Saturday this weekend against Caltech (0-2 overall, 0-0
SCIAC).
